Hans von Seeckt
Germany |party= |events= |status= Alive }}Hans von Seeckt (born 22 April 1866) is a German general and colonial administrator. He was the architect of the 1926 German Intervention in China and went on the serve as the first Governor-General of the Aufsichtsrat der Ostasiatische Generalverwaltung. Seeckt remained in that capacity until 1932, when he was recalled to Germany to act as State Secretary for War and Chief of the German General Staff for Reichskanzler Kuno von Westarp. History Early life Seeckt was born in Schleswig on 22 April 1866 to an old Pomeranian family, which had been ennobled in the eighteenth century. Though the family had lost its estates, Seeckt was "a thorough-going aristocrat" and his father was an important general within the German Army, finishing his career as military governor of Posen. Seeckt followed his father into military service, joining the Army in 1885 at the age of 18. He served in the elite Kaiser Alexander Guard Grenadiers, then joined the Prussian General Staff in 1897. In 1913, Seeckt became the Chief of Staff of the III Corps based in Berlin. The Weltkrieg At the outbreak of the Weltkrieg, Seeckt held the rank of lieutenant colonel and served as chief of staff for Ewald von Lochow in the German III Corps. On mobilisation, III Corps was assigned to the 1st Army on the right wing of the forces for the Schlieffen Plan offensive in August 1914 on the Western Front. Early in 1915 after they were attacked by the French near Soissons he devised a counterattack that took thousands of prisoners and dozens of guns. He was promoted to colonel on 27 January 1915. In March 1915, he was transferred to the Eastern front to serve as chief of staff to General August von Mackensen of the German Eleventh Army. He played a major role in the planning and executing Mackensen's highly successful campaigns. With the Eleventh Army, Seeckt helped direct the Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive of 2 May – 27 June 1915, where he was credited with engineering Mackensen's breakthrough which split the two Russian armies opposing them. The Russians never fully recovered. Here Seeckt implemented a change in handling the thrust of the offensive, pushing reserve formations through breaks in the Russian defenses. This was a break from the established method of securing flanks by advancing along a uniform front, using reserve formations to assist in overcoming strong points. By pressing the reserves forward into the Russian rear areas the Russian positions were destabilized, resulting in a collapse of the Russian defensive line. For his contributions he received the Pour le Mérite, Prussia's highest military honor. In June 1915, Seeckt was promoted to the rank of Generalmajor. He remained Mackensen's chief of staff, who in the fall of 1915 was now controlling Army Group Mackensen or Heeresgruppe Mackensen, which included the German 11th Army, the Austro-Hungarian 3rd Army, and the Bulgarian 1st Army, in a renewed campaign in Serbia. As was the case in the Gorlice offensive, Seeckt played a major role in the planning and execution of the operations in Serbia between 6 October and 24 November 1915. The saying spread through the German army "Where Mackensen is, Seeckt is; where Seeckt is, victory is." For his achievements he was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Pour le Mérite. In June 1916 he became chief of staff for the Austro-Hungarian Seventh Army in Galicia, which was fighting desperately to stem the Brusilov Offensive. Next he became chief of staff in the Austro-Hungarian Army Group commanded by Archduke Karl, who soon became Emperor and was replaced by his cousin Archduke Joseph. The German Intervention in China WIP Personal life A small, trim man, Seeckt always wears an impeccable uniform. He appeares stern in expression and is inclined to silence. His reserved manner and thoughtful reluctance to join in conversation could be off putting. Seeckt was given the nickname the "Sphinx" during his time working with the staff of the Ottoman Empire. His education and experience are quite broad. In his early years Seeckt had traveled through Europe and large parts of Africa and India, where he became friends with Lord Kitchener. Seeckt's interests range far beyond the military traditions of Prussia. Fluent in French and English, he is proficient in a wide range of topics on the arts and culture. He is quite different in presentation than the overbearing Prussian officers that run Germany's army Category:People Category:Europeans Category:German-related topics